Arva Marie Johnson
With her historic appointment as the first African-American woman officer on the Capitol Police Force, Arva Marie Johnson observed many changes in the institution’s security during her 32-year career, and was an officer during the 1998 shooting at the Capitol and on September 11, 2001.
Featured Audio
On Being the First African-American Woman on the Force
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On Being the First African-American Woman on the Force
Arva Marie Johnson, Officer, U.S. Capitol Police Department
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Abstract & Transcript
Arva Marie Johnson joined the Capitol Police Force in 1974, becoming the first African-American female officer, the first uniformed female officer, and one of only four women on the force at the time. Her unprecedented 32-year career as an officer spanned the most comprehensive security changes in the history of the Capitol. In her interview, Johnson recalled her strategies to combat daily gender inequity; documented the reforms to overturn racial discrimination in the force’s promotion process; detailed the changes to Capitol security following the Senate bombing in 1983 and the terrorist attacks in 2001; and discussed her warm relationships with colleagues and Members of Congress. More than a history of the Capitol Police Force, Johnson’s interview offered candid reflections on both her sense of duty and her steadfast optimism.
This interviewee appears in the following projects: The Long Struggle for Representation: Oral Histories of African-Americans in Congress, and Institutional Interviews.
Biography
During her 32-year career, Johnson participated in sweeping changes to Capitol security. As a young officer during the late 1970s—before the widespread use of X-ray machines and metal detectors—Johnson and her colleagues hand-searched bags. Following the Senate bombing in 1983, the shooting death of two friends and colleagues at the Capitol in 1998, and the terrorist attacks in 2001, security tightened dramatically and, among other adjustments, Johnson received sophisticated training in chemical and bomb identification. Over the course of Johnson’s time on the Hill, the Capitol Police Force developed into a leading anti-terrorism organization.
As the Capitol Police Force grew, Johnson spearheaded efforts to reform many of its internal policies, lobbying for better promotion opportunities and special assignments for women officers. As a founding member of the U.S. Capitol Black Police Association—a group organized on behalf of career advancement for minority officers—she and her colleagues successfully pressed for an overhaul of the force’s promotion process during the 1990s.
Johnson’s commitment to the force earned her praise from colleagues and Members alike. As one Congressman said, “She’s the kind of person that you would want your whole department to be like.” Johnson left the Capitol Police Force in 2007 when department policy required that she retire at the age of 57.
Audio
1998 Shooting of Two Capitol Police Officers
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1998 Shooting of Two Capitol Police Officers
Arva Marie Johnson, Officer, U.S. Capitol Police Department
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On Being the First African-American Woman on the Force
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On Being the First African-American Woman on the Force
Arva Marie Johnson, Officer, U.S. Capitol Police Department
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Reflections on Being the Only Woman on the Day Shift
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Reflections on Being the Only Woman on the Day Shift
Arva Marie Johnson, Officer, U.S. Capitol Police Department
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Code Red
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Code Red
Arva Marie Johnson, Capitol Police Officer, U.S. Capitol Police
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Images & Artifacts
![<em>Arva Marie Johnson at Her Post</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress116th/20201124185420im_/https://historycms2.house.gov/assets/31930.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>Arva Marie Johnson, 2007</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress116th/20201124185420im_/https://historycms2.house.gov/assets/31917.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>The First Female Capitol Police Officers</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress116th/20201124185420im_/https://historycms2.house.gov/assets/31915.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>Arva Marie Johnson’s Retirement</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress116th/20201124185420im_/https://historycms2.house.gov/assets/31916.jpeg?sz=190)
![<em>House Resolution 144</em>](https://webharvest.gov/congress116th/20201124185420im_/https://historycms2.house.gov/assets/31932.jpeg?sz=190)